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Thomas Cromwell
Thomas Cromwell was one of Kign Henry's most trusted advisors. He initially appeared as an up-and-coming lawyer and supporter of the Boleyn family in episode 1.04. He was soon shown to be a strong believer in the Lutheran cause and the reformation (or in his words, the destruction) of the Catholic Church, which he appears to despise above all else. Although Cromwell was elevated by Cardinal Wolsey after the king's secretary was removed, he was secretly the ally of the Boleyn family and helped betray Wolsey- despite his friendship with the Cardinal, he was convinced the Protestant Reformation would otherwise not occur. He is also represented as the man who introduces Anne Boleyn to Lutheranism, which she subsequently introduced to Henry VIII. In the second season, Cromwell rises to the position of chief minister after Thomas More resigns, giving him tremendous power. Although More is later beheaded for refusing to acknowledge Henry as supreme head of the Church in England, Cromwell takes a sympathetic approach towards him, as he deeply admires More and does not wish his death; he also orders swift and necessary action when allegations arise regarding Queen Anne Boleyn (which leads to her ultimate downfall) who begins to mistrust and threaten his position. However, he is shown to regret the enormity of his attack on the Queen when she is beheaded, falling before his private altar with a look of remorse. A characteristic of Cromwell is that, although he is untrustworthy to anyone but the King and is no-one's true friend, he always gives potential opponents a fair warning and a neutral, unbiased viewpoint; he is not hesitant to show genuine admiration when he feels it, and he is irritated with the king (though he never says so) for repeatedly throwing away effective and loyal ministers. In this, he is very like Thomas More (though Cromwell is a staunch Protestant reformer and More was a devout Catholic) but is much more unscrupulous with his actions and keeps his true beliefs much more closely guarded. He has the complete favour of the King after such a long string of successes, but unlike Cardinal Wolsey he is much more diplomatic in communicating with members of the King's court. On the other hand, Cromwell is much quicker to resort to violent and repressive measures than Wolsey was when he sees it fit, and in time, like so many before him, it earns him a host of bitter enemies. Cromwell is depicted as being increasingly ruthless and calculating (especially in Season 3), but also as a hard-working and extremely able minister; he is Wolsey's true successor as the King's right hand. Cromwell and some of the Reformists initially fear the Catholic Queen Jane Seymour will uproot their changes, but he quickly realizes her subservience and devotion to Henry and determines she is not a threat. His historic role as a talented administrator and reformer eventually comes into conflict with Henry's ambiguous commitment to the Reformation; the series portrays Cromwell as a committed Protestant who sees the Reformation slipping away, with the Church of England, despite its break from Rome, retaining Catholic tradition and ritual. An attempt to strengthen the King's ties to Protestantism through a German marriage to Anne of Cleves (though couched as a political alliance) backfires, and Cromwell soon meets his downfall. Because of his commoner origins Cromwell is resented by nobles such as the Duke of Suffolk and frequently abused even by Henry. His beheading in episode 3.08 is a brutal, botched affair because the executioner is drunk. As with Cardinal Wolsey and Sir Thomas More, Henry later shows genuine regret at having beheaded Cromwell, having respected him as a brilliant minister. Section heading Write the first section of your page here. Section heading Write the second section of your page here.